Meet Joe Castel, Director of Nelly Queen: The Life and Times of José Sarria

Meet Joe Castel, Director of Nelly Queen: The Life and Times of José Sarria 

Virtual Soirée 

Tuesday, July 12th, 

7:30 - 8:30 PM Eastern

Hear from Joe, see clips from the film, and learn how Sarria's legacy as the first openly gay man to run for public office is an equally tragic, valiant, and inspiring story! Joe's documentary was 20 years in the making and reveals an intimate portrait of the Latino civil rights pioneer whose heroic drag has long been overlooked as a cornerstone of the gay rights movement.

https://unerased.org/resource/monthly-special-soirees

Jose Sarria on BBC News - World Service "The US’s first gay election candidate"

 

Jose Sarria on BBC News - World Service - Witness History

"The US’s first gay election candidate"

Witness History

In 1961 the first openly gay person ran for public office in the United States. He was called Jose Sarria and he was a drag queen.

In 1961 the first openly gay person ran for public office in the United States. He was called Jose Sarria and he was a drag queen. He was determined that gay people would no longer be second-class citizens and paved the way for future openly gay candidates, such as Harvey Milk. Josephine McDermott speaks to Jose’s friend and fellow drag performer Mike Michelle.

(Photo: Jose Sarria in drag. Credit: The Jose Sarria Foundation)

Credits: Jose Sarria archive material from the documentary, Nelly Queen: The Life and Times of Jose Sarria by kind permission of its director Joseph Castel. Black Cat monologue recorded by Ball Records.

Listen on the BBC News website 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct3bwn

Listen on Apple

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-uss-first-gay-election-candidate/id339986758?i=1000569248279

Current Events for Nelly Queen During June Pride Month 2022

June 4th, screening at Lowell MA Pride Festival, Director will do Zoom Q&A

Join us for a special screening of Joe Castel’s documentary film Nelly Queen: The Life and Times of José Sarria (2020) on Saturday, June 4th from 7:00 - 8:30 at the MCC Federal Building's Assembly Room! The film documents Sarria’s life, starting with his performances at the Black Cat Café in the 1950s, to his historic run for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1961 (becoming the first OUT gay person to run for political office in the United States). The film alternates historical footage with captivating interviews and shows “how a marginalized outcast fought unjust laws and united an often fractured community by giving them a political and social identity,” as the Bay Area Reporter wrote in its review. The film's director, Joe Castel, will join us live for a post-screening Q&A!

Recommended for audiences ages 18+

Email info@unerased.org for more details

#Lowell #pride2022 #historyunerased #lgbtqcommunity

Source: https://www.facebook.com/GreaterLowellPRIDE/

June 24 screening in Surrey British Columbia for Surrey Pride and Simon Frazier University 

- Gene Brake, Producer and founder of Jose Sarria Foundation will facilitate Q&A

Source: https://www.sfu.ca/gsws/news-events/events.html

June 16 - Corporate Workshop for Allbirds Corporation to include NQ clips on Jose's election for LGBTQ history segment  - presented by Oxford PhD student Mori Reitmayr